Scarborough under attack in Nazi Germany war game

Scarborough is the main target in a rare Nazi Germany board game set to be sold at auction on March 1.

The game, entitled Wir Kampfen gegen den Feind - We fight against the enemy, seems to have been designed to encourage children living in Nazi Germany to work together to ensure success.

The three-player game appears to have had a clear winner from the start - as it was impossible for Germany to lose, with Britain offering no defence.

The game comes with the map playing surface, three spinners, instructions, three battle ships, seven bombers, and four fighters.

Players would twirl specially designed spinners and move their pieces towards the UK in concentric circles, vanquishing British ships and planes - represented by silhouettes - along the way.

The first spin would determine how powerful the attack was, and the second determined if it missed - with smaller numbers needed as they marched forward into smaller rings.

Total victory would be ensured once the players had taken over all the silhouettes in the circles, thus destroying the Royal Navy and RAF in the process.

The game has been won when players reached the middle of the board’s bullseye - the town of Scarborough.

It is not clear why Scarborough appears as the centre target, but the town was bombed by German forced during World War I.

The game is believed to have been produced in the early 40s, as the labelling of “Frankreich” on the board indicating that it was made after German troops rolled into Paris in 1940.

It has been valued at £280-£300, and will go under the hammer next month, after being put up for sale by a German collector.

Ben Jones, of Mullocks auctioneers of Ludlow, Shropshire, said: “This is pure propaganda and it was really designed to show that the Nazis were going to win the war - giving anyone who played it a false sense of victory.

“It was meant to show the German people, especially children, that they can’t lose, they won’t lose and Britain will ultimately fall.

“They wanted to make people believe it was easy to defeat Britain and if the Germans clubbed together that it was just a matter of time.”

The description of the lot reads: “Lot 527, estimate £280-300. German War Board Game c.1940s a scarce boxed board game entitled ‘Wir Kampfen gegen den Feind’ We fight against the enemy in original box, c/w board with map of Great Britain, 3x spinners, instructions stuck to box lid, 3 battle ships, 7x Blue planes and 4x Red planes, some general wear to box, tears to corners etc, otherwise good condition, board measures 30 x 30cm approx.”

Interested parties can watch, listen and bid live online at www.thesaleroom.com